Tyler Clukey had no idea he would be working on aircraft one day. A friend of his brought to the hangar to meet the director of maintenance and he found it interesting to be around aircraft. As he was looking for a new job, he accepted a position at C&L as an aircraft cleaner. From that day on he has enjoyed being around and working on aircraft.
Clukey started with C&L Aviation in April 2012 as an aircraft cleaner. After a couple months of doing that he worked his way into an interior position, which required removing and installing the aircraft interiors. Then he had an opportunity to start doing engine changes, running the aircraft, and going on road trips. He realized that the best mechanic was one that could do a little bit of anything and that is what he wanted to strive toward, to be an all-around mechanic. The position he has today is a lead mechanic. He runs the project and keeps the technicians busy. He communicates with his supervisor and the customer to get a plan for the aircraft while it is in the hangar. "My responsibilities are to get the aircraft completed on time," he says, "keep it in budget, keep our technicians on task, deliver a good product to the customer, deliver an airworthy aircraft, and keep the aircraft project moving smoothly."
His training came from on the job training and classroom training. Advanced training includes CRJ 200/700/900 Familiarization course.
Nominated by Phil Miholovich, director of maintenance, C&L Aviation Group: "Tyler expressed interest in learning aircraft maintenance. He accepted the opportunity to join our apprenticeship, received FAA acknowledgement as being able to test for his certificate, tested and received his certificate. At a very young age, Tyler accepted the project lead position and has fulfilled this position with passion. Tyler always consults/listens to those with experience and hears what is being said. He retains and applies this information to better perform in his position. Early in his career, Tyler eagerly volunteered and was tasked with overseeing recovery of three aircraft in a less than desirable foreign region with a small team. The project was a complete success. This trip included controlling finances, managing the crew, removing and packaging of parts, and controlling the locals in getting the boat shipping container loaded. Tyler gets excited when challenged with new fleet type projects and constantly forward thinks to improve the overall performance. Tyler is one of those employees that managers would state that if everyone was like him we could do twice as much with half as many. He understands that the success of the company is dependent on the success of the employees. He is truly a model for the next generation to follow.”
To give back to the industry, he tries to get people involved in aviation by telling them how fun it is to be a licensed mechanic.
As for future goals he'd like to become a director of maintenance and own an aircraft.
